


Future Prologue

by rusblk



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Amnesia, M/M, Memory Loss, Post-Canon Cardassia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:24:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rusblk/pseuds/rusblk
Summary: Five years after Bashir cut off contact, Garak finds him on Cardassia. Their reunion is not what Garak expected.





	Future Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I am determined to finish this before September, but one can never be sure.

“Julian?”

Garak was perplexed. He didn’t expect to see his old friend on this planet — Cardassia — after all this time. He thought that their friendship ended that day when Bashir declined the communication request and never commed back. It’s been five years since. It was simply absurd. Could it be a surprise visit? If he still considered Garak as his friend, he could have commed ages ago. Garak erased that possibility from his mind. Bashir looked back, but he didn’t seem glad. Really, Julian, you should have expected to see me if you came here. It was understandable though, because he was the one who didn’t want to keep their friendship. Garak thought as he studied Bashir’s face more closely. He didn’t response any further than looking back at him and didn’t say a word. He wore the look of politeness embarrassment, but didn’t seem to recognize him. Something was off.

“Do I know you?”

Something really was off. He must be the Julian Bashir he knows, since he looked human enough and even though Garak didn’t excel at distinguishing human faces he could recognize his face from quite a distance. And his name was Julian. If this was the man he knew, what happened to him?

“You are, Julian Bashir, aren’t you.”

“As far as I know, but I don’t remember seeing you.”

“I... used to know you. A little. If you don’t remember me, I should get going.”

“Wait! I don’t know many people here, so if it’s okay with you, can we talk? Just a little bit? I won’t take much of your time.”

“That could be arranged.”

“Are you busy now? I was just heading home, so if you’re okay,”

“No, but we should go somewhere else. We’re standing in the middle of the crowd.”

“Oh, oh. Of course. Cafe?”

“Cafe would be fine.”

Garak wanted to guide the man to his flat, but it was too intimate for a stranger who didn’t know him. Those cafes were too open for his taste, but he’ll manage. He had exchanged conversations with this man in the openness of the replimat for seven years. The memory seemed too far. In front of him was a different version of Bashir to whom he knew. The inconsistency interrupted accessing the memory.

It was early in the morning and he was going to work, but he couldn’t throw away the chance. Work could wait. So he silently led the way to a place he’s never been to. Thankfully, there were not many people.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your walk.” Bashir smiled awkwardly.

“Not at all. I did. You must be tired from work.”

“Yeah, but not too much. The weather’s too hot for me, so I took the night shift.”

“I heard humans live in colder climates. How long have you been here?”

“A few months. One, two, ... five, it is. You know, I’m actually glad to meet you. Someone who knows me.”

“You are lonely.”

“That’s one thing. People here are nice, really. But they don’t allow me to know them — really know them — maybe it’s a cultural thing.”

“That’s not all there is, isn’t it. What led you to Cardassia, this humble planet?”

“Were you a close friend of mine?”

“Not quite. You cured me from a nasty illness once.”

“Well. I... I don’t remember my past. Some kind of transport accident. They, the people in the recovery center, told me I was a doctor. It wasn’t hard to pick up the knowledge, I must have been a doctor. I waited for someone to come for me. To help me pick up from where I left. Nobody came. Was I a lonely man?”

“You had many friends the last time I saw you.”

“I wonder what happened to them.”

Bashir sighed. Leaning into the chair, he got lost in thought. They sat in a companionable silence for a moment. Garak was surprised to know that sitting together with this man wasn’t uncomfortable. He always expected their reunion to be somewhat more dramatic. It is dramatic, but in a different way.

Bashir spoke again.

“Are you sure you were not one of them? My close friends? It seems strangely familiar being with you.”

“I hoped I was an enjoyable company. Please do continue, I want to know what brought you here.”

“Alright. At first I wanted to contact my friends and relatives. It turned out that we were living in very different places. I was on Andoria, most of them on Earth, some on Trill, and so on. Our paths must have been diverged and they probably didn’t know I was in coma. I didn’t want to distress them. I actually got nervous to meet them again. So I came to the farthest planet from Earth, and to where I was needed. I thought Cardassia was a good choice and I still do, maybe except for the weather.”

“Aren’t you nervous to see me?”

“We barely knew each other, as you said. And maybe I needed someone to talk to. Those people I work with, they don’t care about my past. It was good at first. It doesn’t feel wrong when you’re working with people who don’t expect you to remember something you can’t. But no friendly chats for months, it put me on my nerves. And you don’t want me to resume our friendship as it were, so... I think you are kind.”

“I am glad. We could have little chats next time if you want,”

“I’d love to! I’ll give you my comm unit number. It’s connected to my padd, so contact me any time. Where do you live?”

“The village down the street. It’s not far from here.”

“I work at the hospital right there, so I guess we could meet in the middle!”

“As you wish, my dear.”

“Don’t ‘dear’ me yet, Garak. I might be terrible company next time.”

Bashir didn’t know where that came from. Had he asked this old friend his name? However, he didn’t dwell on it for long. He finally got someone to call a friend, a friendly alien on the alien planet. And if what he said about his friends were right, maybe it was a good idea to try recovering his memories. He regretted that his older self wasn’t close with the Cardassian. It seemed reasonable that they met because he cured him considering his former profession as a Starfleet officer, but why didn’t he approach him? Garak seemed like a reliable man and a smooth talker. Oh, he was already fascinated by the man.

**Author's Note:**

> I've finished this in Korean but have no intention of translating it, thanks for reading.


End file.
